Sneak away?
More like they fought their way out.
Seluvis let out a cold snort. But in the next instant, he grasped just how far Nolan's strength had already grown, and how much further it could still go if left unchecked.
Sellen, you really did take in an excellent apprentice.
"Everyone except the outer patrols is to pursue them," Seluvis ordered coolly. "That is a Carian Knight. Kill him, and you will not be short of rewards."
Honor meant nothing to these Cuckoos. Only profit could move them.
Caria still had to be dealt with, after all. The Lunar Princess was there. But Nolan Bethel could not be allowed to live either. If he continued to grow, reclaiming Sellen would only become more difficult.
Still, to let such talent die so easily was a pity.
"Yes!" The knight commander turned and moved to leave.
"Wait." Seluvis stopped him, straightening his collar.
"If circumstances allow, make sure the two intruders remain alive."
"They must be high-ranking figures from Caria. Alive, they are worth far more than corpses."
Judging by the Cuckoos' report, Nolan was no magic apprentice. To tear through a camp defended by hundreds was something only a hero could accomplish.
Add Sellen to the equation, and if both of them could be captured…
The risk was high, but the payoff even higher.
The night had grown thick, yet news spread through the darkness like a hidden current.
While Seluvis considered his next move, a Haima lecturer knocked on the door of another chamber.
Moments later, the door opened slowly, revealing the grim face of Associate Professor Dhurke.
He reached out, took the sealed letter from the lecturer, and after a single glance, his expression darkened.
"What? The capture operation failed? Seluvis, that bastard, actually dares to shield a Carian Knight!"
Dhurke roared in fury.
He had no idea that the Preceptor had only just learned of the incident himself. Instead, he assumed Seluvis had long been colluding with Caria.
No wonder the higher-ups never trusted him. A traitor through and through. Betrayal demanded a price.
At that moment, the Haima lecturer who had delivered the message spoke anxiously.
"Lord Dhurke, according to our latest intelligence, Seluvis has already dispatched a large number of subordinates. He may be preparing to silence witnesses."
Dhurke let out a cold laugh.
"Silence witnesses? Hmph. Those two spies were personally acknowledged by him when they arrived. Isn't it a little late to talk about silencing anyone now?"
He turned his gaze toward a middle-aged man standing nearby, his head hidden beneath a tall, pointed hood.
"Wait. Soroto, you said he sent out all his forces. Where did they go?"
"Yes. Every unit except the regional patrol teams has been deployed," Soroto replied. "They seem unusually eager. Could they be trying to make up for something?"
Soroto was extraordinarily tall, his thick muscles making him look less like a Sorcerer and more like a butcher.
The watchers had all been dispatched by him. According to the original plan, the two infiltrating spies should already have been captured, waiting only for the decisive moment to deal Seluvis a crushing blow.
The three of them would then be brought before the Academy for judgment, and the matter would be concluded.
Sending a disloyal Preceptor to the tribunal was no small achievement for those tasked with enforcing the Academy's will.
"As for the two Carian spies," Soroto said in his deep, heavy voice, "their escape route should be toward the Gatefront Town bridge."
Strangely enough, the Carians had not fled northwest. Instead, they were running east, straight away from their own sphere of influence.
"Damn Seluvis! Making amends, my ass. He's selling out Gatefront Town."
Dhurke flew into a rage and slammed his fist down on the wooden table.
With a deafening crash, the solid table shattered on the spot, splinters flying in all directions.
As an associate professor, he needed only to hear Nolan's escape route to see through their real objective.
The east was academy territory, and there were only two enemies. What reason was there to send the bulk of the forces there?
There was only one explanation. He was opening the gates for the Carians.
"Leaving the western defenses of Gatefront Town wide open. The Carians won't miss that opportunity."
"And those damn Cuckoos are over there too, even closer than the Carians."
Veins bulged on the Haima associate professor's face as he roared, not caring whether the Cuckoo soldiers outside could hear him. He enunciated every word.
"Pass the order immediately! Recall the Cuckoos at once. No… forget it. We'll go ourselves."
"That's true. If we don't go in person, once those Cuckoos go mad, they won't listen to anyone. But if we do that, aren't we completely giving up Gatefront Town's defenses?"
Soroto, standing to the side, showed a flicker of panic and hesitation in his eyes.
"What use are the few of us without the main force? And if Seluvis dares to do this, he's already made up his mind to sell out Gatefront Town. He'll do everything he can to delay the Cuckoos from returning."
Dhurke remained calm and decisive. He looked toward the distant spire and silently clenched his fist.
"This is no ordinary defection. We have to respond with force."
...
Under the same night sky, every faction held different pieces of information.
Yet after carefully unraveling the threads, most of them had already pieced together the course of events and were moving toward their own objectives.
"Luring the tiger away from the mountain. It really never gets old."
Nolan had no interest in the power struggles within the Magic Academy, nor any reason to stand on Seluvis's side.
Even if the Haima associate professor led the lecturers into a fight to the death, it would only benefit Nolan and Caria.
Tap tap tap…
Urgent, forceful footsteps approached from behind. Nolan turned his head sharply and saw countless figures in pursuit.
With a single glance, he understood the choice Seluvis had ultimately made.
Of course, Seluvis had no real choice. Sheltering Sellen and himself was something he would never be able to wash clean within the Magic Academy.
"Why aren't they using bows or Glintstones?"
"Probably because whoever sent them doesn't want us dead just yet."
There was no time for further explanation. Nolan crossed the bridge and set foot on Liurnia's eastern shore, then suddenly stopped.
Sellen nodded. She understood.
Thinking back, she had once gathered Amber Starlight for that repulsive man, one of the materials used to create puppet potions.
The potions Seluvis brewed could turn living people into puppets under his control while preserving as much of their original combat strength as possible.
The Cuckoos weren't using ranged weapons, but their pace wasn't slow either. Whether they wanted to kill him and his teacher or not, they clearly had no intention of letting them escape.
"Blades have no eyes, Teacher. Don't lower your guard."
Nolan slowly turned around. Filthy, blood-stained water dripped from the hem of his clothes as his greatsword scraped against the ground, throwing off dazzling sparks.